Ship&#39;s telegraph



vNuv. 24 1925. 1,562,483

F. w. WOOD SHIP 5 TELEGRAPH Filed Jan. 13. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lib/wears Patented Nov. 24, 1925.

FRANK W. WOOD, OF MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

snrrs TELEGRAPH.

[ all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK TV. 001), a citizen of the United States, and resident of Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ships 'llelegraphs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mechanical signalling systems especially adapted for use on ships, and especially to the provision in such a system of a powerful, mechanically operated audible signal which will infallibly attract the engineers attention whenever the transmitting element at the bridge is moved to give an order.

The invention is especially intended for use on motor ships, powered with heavy oil engines, such as Diesel engines, or other engines which are so noisy that ordinary telegraphs, having a hell or gong for the audible signal, are ineffective because the gong cannot, or may not, be heard above the engine noises.

The invention therefore provides, in connection with other essential features of a ship telegraph, means for producing at each actuation of the transmitter a particularly loud, raucous or penetrating noise of 30 considerable duration, which is unavoidably heard in the presence of engine noises of the character described. This audible signal is produced by mechanical means, and any uncertainty of action involved in electrical apparatus is avoided.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention are further sufficiently explained in connection with the following detail descrip tion of the accompanying drawings, which show one exemplifying embodiment of the invention. After considering this enemplification, persons skilled in the art will understand that many variations may be made within the principles of the invention, and I do not limit myself to details except as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of indicating or signalling apparatus embodying the invention in one form, with certain parts, such as the dial and pointers, removed.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the $111118 apparatus.

Figure 3 is a diagram sufficiently explaining the location of the invention appaita Serial No. 612,416.

ratus in a typical ships telegraph installation.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the receiving apparatus, or engineers indicator. to be installed in a ships engine room or other sin'iilar location, designated as a whole by reference character A. This comprises a casing 1 having a rear wall 2 and a base 3 provided with screw-holes 4 for securing the apparatus to any suitable support. In the casing is a spider or supporting wall 5, which may be detachably secured by screws 6 against an annular shoulder 7. A. shaft 8 has a bearing at- 9 in wall 5, and an indicator wheel or pulley 10 is mounted on this shaft between partition 5 and back wall 2. A pointer 11 is fixed on the outer end of shaft 8 in front of dial 12, to give visual signals to the engineer in the usual manner. Indicator wheel 10 is connected by a wire or chain 13, Fig. 3, with the transmitter wheel 14; at the bridge, or other control station, in the usual way, pulleys 15 being mounted on casing 1 to guide the wire, and other guides being provided throughout the course of the wire from onestation to the other, as usual.

To transmit confirmations of orders, a

shaft 16 is journaled in a bearing formed in the rear end of shaft 8 and in a bearing 17 in rear wall 2. This shaft 16 has a pulley 18 connected by a wire or chain in the usual way with a wheel and pointer at the bridge, pulleys 19 being provided on casing 1 to guide the wire; and a lever 20, provided with a handle 21 and a pointer 22 111 front of the dial, is fixed to the rear end of shaft 16.

To provide the loud, raucous or penetrating sound-signal desired for reasons pre viously stated, mechanisms which are in general similar to diaphragm horns used in automobiles are satisfactory in one preferred embodiment of the invention, and one or more of such noise making mechanisms are associated with the visual signalling mechanism at the engineers station.

The audible signalling mechanisms, designated as a whole by reference character C, are desirably arranged in a space or compartment provided in casing 1 between the dial 12 and partition 5. Each comprises a. diaphragm housing 23 in which is secured a diaphragm 241 having a central pointed stud or button 25. The diaphragm casing ti O - important. The horns or sound producii has screw-tln'eaded engagement with a tube 26 located on an arm '27 extending from partition 5, and a lock-nut 28 having a knurled periphery for convenient hand operation, is located on the threaded tube to secure the diaphragm holder in adjusted position. A sound-conveying or amplifyin horn? or sound-funnel 29 is desirab y arranged in communication with the outer end of a tube 26 and leading to an aperture 30 in theouter wall of easing l. The diaphragm sounders or hooters may be arranged in radial, spaced relation, as shown in Fig. 1, and one or more of them may be employed. A plurality of the sound-signals increases the total noise, and guards against failure of one or more of the devices. A single one of the devices is sufficientin some cases.

To actuate the horn diaphragms simultaneously a wheel 31, having peripheral notches or serrations is rotatably mounted on the forward portion of shaft 8, and desirably this mounting of the toothed wheel is by means of ball bearings 33, or of course plain bearings may be employed when reduction of friction is not cons mechanisms are arranged so that the bu tons 25 are in contact with the serrat ons on wheel 31,,aud the diaphragm housings 2 may be adjusted by loosening the lock nuts and turning them on the threaded tubes to bring the respective buttons in proper relation to the wheel so as to regulate the loudness or quality of the sound produced.

The hub 34 of wheel 31 has a pinion 35, .and this is engaged by a gear 36 usually of much larger diameter. The gear is fixed on a shaft 37 having a bearing at 38 in partition 5, and on the inward end of the shaft is a pinion 39 engaging a gear 40 usually of much larger diameter fixed on the hub of indicator wheel 10. By this arrangement whenever the controlling handle at the transmitting station is moved to give a sig nal to the engineer, indicator wheel 10 is moved and this movement is transferred by the described gearing to serrated wheel 31 which rotates at much higher speed than the indicator wheel, and therefore even if the indicator wheel is moved only through a moderate angle corresponding to the distance between two adjacent spaces on the dial li the serrated wheel 31 is revolved sufficiently, and usually it performs several revolutions, causing the diaphragm of the sound producing device, or of all of them, to be vibrated rapidly, and producing a loud, raucous or penetrating sound which is audible under the conditions previously described, so that the engineers attention is unavoidably attracted, and he attends to the execution of the order indicated by pointer 11 on the dial.

While different serrated wheels may be employed to conform to other arrangements of a plurality of sound producing devices, the described arrangement wherein one serrated wheel is arranged to operate a plurality of the devices is a simple, con'ipact and preferred fornr for this purpose.

I claim:

In a ships telegraph receiving apparatus, a casing, a partition therein dividing the easing into a front and a rear chamber, a

dial at the outer end of the casin a main.

b7 shaft rotatable in bearing in the partition, an indicator wheel on the shaft within the rear chamber, a pointer on the shaft in front of the dial, a gear shaft rotatably mounted in a bearing in the partition, a pinion on one end of said shaft and alarger gear on other end of the shaft, a gear on the main shaft engaging said pinion and of larger diameter than the pinion, a relatively small. pinion rotatably mounted on the main shaft in said front chamber and engaging the on said gear shaft, a serrated wheel larger than the last named pinion and connected to rotate therewith, and one or more vibratory sound producers in said front chamber in generally radial relation to the main shaft, each of said sound producers comprising, a tubular member supported on said partition, a sound horn connected to the outward end of said tubular member and having its outer end located in an aperture in the casing, a diaphragm housing having screw-threaded engagement with said tubular member, a diaphragm secured in the flared inward end of said housing, a button on the diaphragm engaging the serrated wheels, and means for securing the diaphragm casing in adjusted position on said tubular member, the parts being constructed and arranged so that at each movement of the instrument pointer from one dial space to another the serrated wheel is rapidly moved and the diaphragm or diaphragms are rapidly vibrated, producing a loud penetrating and raucous noise, clearly perceptible above the other loud noises in a Diesel-engine room.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 30th day of December A. D. 1922.

FRANK W. 001). 

